Have you been thinking about chai-ing something new lately? Maybe spicing up your cocktail game? Tea-ing up a new at-home cocktail menu to shake up your evening?
If you answered yes to any of the above, today is your lucky day, because we have an answer to what your cocktail soul has been seeking: chai cocktails. Earthy, creamy, sweet, or savory, there's nothing these chai cocktail recipes can't do.
Spiked Chai Tea Cocktail
Just because there's steeping involved doesn't mean you need to climb to reach the summit of this chai tea cocktail.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces brewed chai tea
- 1 ounce almond milk
- ¾ ounce honey syrup
- 2 ounces bourbon, vodka, or amaretto liqueur
- Star anise for garnish
Instructions
- Warm a mug.
- In the warm, empty mug, add chai, almond milk, honey syrup, and spirit of choice.
- Stir to mix.
- Garnish with star anise.
Smooth Chai and Ginger Vodka Cocktail
A little ginger and chai-infused vodka means you can sit right down to enjoy an icy chai drink without waiting for it to cool off. You will need to do a little planning ahead when it comes to infusing your vodka, however. The result — a chai vodka cocktail you'll love — is well worth it.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces chai-infused vodka
- ¾ ounce vanilla liqueur
- ½ ounce falernum
- Ice
- Ginger beer to top off
- Lime wheel and mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, chai vodka, vanilla liqueur, and falernum.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into highball glass over fresh ice.
- Top off with ginger beer.
- Stir briefly to mix.
- Garnish with lime wheel and mint sprig.
Chai Whiskey Cocktail
Spiced chai + bourbon + apple cider = put the calculator down: the answer is delicious. But you knew that already.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces chai-infused bourbon
- ½ ounce cinnamon liqueur
- 4 ounces apple cider
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Cinnamon stick for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, chai bourbon, cinnamon liqueur, apple cider, and simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with cinnamon stick, if desired.
Spiced Chai Old-Fashioned
Move over Don Draper; there's a spiced chai old-fashioned in town. And it's here to take your corner office.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces bourbon
- ¾ ounce chai simple syrup
- 2-3 dashes cardamom bitters
- 1-2 dashes orange bitters
- Ice
- Orange wheel and cocktail cherry for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing glass, add ice, bourbon, chai simple syrup, and bitters.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with orange slice and cherry.
Adult Chai Tea Spritzer
A little ginger ale, some rum, and of course, brewed and chilled chai tea is all it takes to go from sad that you don't have a spritz to happy with a spritz.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce dark rum
- 1 ounce spiced rum
- 2 ounces chilled chai tea
- ¾ ounce demerara syrup
- Ice
- Ginger ale to top off
- Orange twist for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, dark rum, spiced rum, chai tea, and demerara syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Top off with ginger ale.
- Garnish with orange twist if desired.
Chai White Russian
Take your after-dinner White Russian into the realm of spiced and dreamy with some chai and a few other secret ingredients. Whether you spill the beans is up to you.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka
- 1 ounce chai-honey simple syrup
- 1 ounce coffee liqueur
- 2 ounces heavy cream, traditional or almond
- Ice
Instructions
- In a rocks glass, add ice, vodka, cream, and simple syrup.
- Pour coffee liqueur over top. Do not stir.
Hot Buttered Chai Rum
Just when you thought hot buttered rum was a thing of the past and way out of style, chai is here to doctor it up and prove that your grandma's love of buttered rum is more than justified. And you might just get her to try a sip.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
- ½ ounce vanilla vodka
- 1½ ounces dark rum
- Brewed chai tea to top off
- Cinnamon stick and grated nutmeg for garnish
Instructions
- Warm a mug by filling with hot water.
- After mug is warm, pour out the water into the sink.
- In prepared mug, add brown sugar, butter, vodka, and rum.
- Stir well to mix.
- Top off with chai tea.
- Stir briefly to combine.
- Garnish with cinnamon stick and grated nutmeg.
Quick Tip
Alternatively, you can top it off with equal parts hot water and chai, or you can use chai simple syrup with hot water to give it that spiced flavor.
Chai Martini
Martini Monday rolls around once again and you're not feeling your usual drink, but you've had so many espresso martinis lately that you're wondering what to make. The answer is oh-so-clear, a chai martini. With a whisper of coffee flavor, of course.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka
- 1 ounce chilled chai tea
- 1 ounce coffee liqueur
- ½ ounce almond milk or Irish cream
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Coffee beans for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, vodka, chai tea, coffee liqueur, and simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
- Garnish with coffee beans.
Infusing Chai Flavors
To infuse your spirits with chai flavors, you can follow the same steps as you would when infusing your liquor with other teas. However, if you're looking for a deeper chai flavor, you can take your infusion to the next level with spices.
Following the same tea infusion steps, add six to eight cardamom pods, five to eight black peppercorns, a half tablespoon of cloves, and two cinnamon sticks. Instead of chai tea bags, you can use black tea bags, but if you're looking for an intense flavor, chai tea bags are totally fair game. Be sure to give the infusion a firm shake to jumpstart the process.
To make a chai simple syrup, combine one cup of sugar with one cup of water in a pot over medium heat. Warm through for about five minutes, stirring nearly constantly to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove the pot from the heat and add your chair tea bags. Allow those to steep and infuse into the simple syrup for approximately 45 minutes.
Chai a New Cocktail
It's more than just for tea or a latte to sip as you read your book. Chai adds depth and complexity to cocktails that you've enjoyed hundreds of times, but also opens the door to cocktails you may have never dreamt of. Put on your shoes, grab a jacket, and head out the door. These adventurous and earthy cocktails are just begging for you to chai them.
